Right-wing ‘centrist’ MP John Spellar doesn’t like the left. He admitted live on national TV that he considered the term ‘Momentum member’ to be an insult and blocked delegates from his CLP to the party’s annual conference because he didn’t want it ‘flooded’ by Momentum members.
So it’s a good bet that he’s not a happy chap at the moment, after the left-slate candidates took a clean sweep of the three new NEC (Labour’s National Executive Committee) positions yesterday.
In fact, he’s a lot more than ‘not happy’, according to well-placed Labour sources who pointed to an email he sent this morning complaining about Momentum’s membership successes and appealing for readers to join his right-wing Labour First group:
A parliamentary source told the SKWAWKBOX:
John’s absolutely bricking it since yesterday.
Sources in West Midlands Labour told this blog that Spellar may have good reason to be worried, claiming that he’s far from popular in his local Labour party.
Spellar’s alleged longstanding plan to retire and ‘anoint’ the failed Unite leadership candidate Gerard Coyne as his successor would be under serious threat in a selection contest – a threat identified, in general terms, by Spellar’s Labour First colleague Luke Akehurst this afternoon in a Twitter discussion about the NEC vote to replace Ann Black with Christine Shawcroft as Chair of the party’s ‘disputes panel’:
Of course, neither Akehurst nor Spellar were complaining when their minority faction was exercising an influence its size within the Labour Party did not justify. But that’s democracy in action for you.
John Spellar was contacted for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.
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Hey, Akehurst, I’ve got news for you. It *really* is the Disputes Panel we care about. We’ve seen your faction’s gerrymandering, your faction’s flagrant disregard for people’s mental health and well-being, your faction’s failure to follow natural justice time and time again – AND WE AIN’T GONNA TAKE IT NO MORE. Sincerely, ex-suspended member.
Should ‘justified’ read ‘did not justify’ in that last paragraph?
Indeed!
Spellar has never been popular, all the way back when he was foisted on us by Frank Chappell, EETPU, when he was selected by our union against branches wishes.
Hi Steve, the youtube of Spellar that your email links to is broken.
It’s on FB if anyone desperately wants to see the little corporal have his bitter old arse handed to him by Zoe Williams 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/BBCPolitics/videos/1314556878561167/?hc_ref=ARTCOha-9UEbk2e6gt7NUMV6OFMkHZLSJaAwG_OXv0Q_37wRnOp60KE8ftYtetFIKw0
Spellar and Akenhurst you’re both a dying breed of yesteryear!
“STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN”!
Those table’s have now turned, for the “GOOD”!
Our Socialist Labour Party is now back where it “BELONGS”!
“Back in the safe hands of the “LEFT”!
You right wing Tory light politicians have tried and failed to take LABOUR BACKWARDS to the TORY BLAIR DAYS, EXCEPT YOUR FATE, STAY IN THE WILDERNESS FOREVER AND A DAY, MIND THE DOOR DOESN’T HIT YOUR ARSE ON THE WAY OUT!
*Accept!
It’s only my opinion but I think we need 350 Left Wing Democratic Socialst Diverse Labour MPs and I will be working for this democratically through arguments and debate. For what some would suggest are the uncritical thinkers (and very poorly read) of Labour First & Progress perhaps they should try READING the brilliant New Left Review, anything by Paulo Freire, Paul Frolich’s biography of Rosa Luxemburg particularly the conclusion – the best thing we all bring to the table is our independent SOCIALIST critical thinking. Otherwise I am afraid history will deservedly pass them by and for all those who support JC (like me) HISTORY WILL KNOW YOU EXISTED! Perhaps we are witnessing the end of the ‘Great Men and Women’ of History’ (without original ideas in their heads) which will also come too perhaps after the temporary rule of the LAST BARBARIANS like Trump, Putin, Erdogen, the Right Wing Govt. in Israel, the Elite Cronies in the Middle East et al plus bourgeous socialists in China & North Korea; and then perhaps it will be time for THE GREAT MASSES OF HISTORY facilitated democratically by grassroots, bottom up, participatory, left wing demcratic socialists like JC’s Labour in the UK. Solidarity!